More than a matter of duty: safety management

At the premises there is a rotten-egg odour spreading – escape of toxic, highly flammable hydrogen sulphide! Fortunately this happens only once in a blue moon. Staff and local residents can be appeased if there is a system of safety management in place for such events. Safety management is absolutely essential for refineries and other petrochemical plants; the relevant standards are defined and specified by law, in workplace regulations and instructions, in the rules and regulations of trade or employers' liability insurance associations as well as in the standards of property insurers. Above all, the protection of life and health has to be the top priority. In cases of emergency, quickest possible reaction times are always essential.
However, an efficient safety management program offers even more advantages: for instance, insurers grant their customers favourable rates and trade or employers' liability insurance associations assign a lower danger class rating if the safety standard is above average in cross-sector comparison. What convinces budget and cost-conscious managers is the fact that effective safety management contributes to the value added as each day of production loss may cost millions.

The safety management program requirements are varied and are determined from the first blueprint of the planning phase through to daily operation. This involves plant planning firms, certifiers, plant construction firms, safety engineers and the factory fire department. Dräger offers an extensive range of services and support for all of them. The service portfolio is diverse and includes the development of safety concepts and analysis of the operational system for averting danger as well as training in emergency situations. In addition, Dräger also offers clearance and evacuation exercises and comprehensive instruction and training of fire prevention and protection as well as of operational safety teams. Personnel will learn how to properly behave and react in emergency situations: participants in training and exercises are exposed to real life situations, are instructed by skilled behaviour trainers and supported by specially trained security experts.

This ensures that plant operators are optimally prepared for cases of emergency: emergency plans, safety regulations and trained personnel ensure fast reaction – and in using gas detection and measurement technology, respiratory protection and escape equipment, chemical protection suits, emergency respirators and breathing apparatuses from Dräger.

With regard to refineries, safety also means that personnel are capable of reacting quickly and appropriately at all times. In order to rule out any impairment due to alcohol or drug consumption, Dräger breath-alcohol measuring and drug detection devices can be used in suspected cases and provide an accurate result. They are a convenient way of doing so – without needles and syringes - fast, hygienic and straight forward, simply by using a breathe or saliva sample.